It seems karma is finally catching up with Meghan Markle and it has been delicious, though not in a culinary kind of way.
Markle’s latest venture, Netflix’ cooking show, ‘With Love, Meghan,’ premiered 4 March, has Britons and Americans running for the sick buckets in equal measure.
This caps off several years of a plunging trajectory for the failed royal who shamelessly exploited and savaged her husband’s family for financial and promotional gain and tortured the final years of Harry’s beloved grandparents, who were national treasures.
Yet Britain lets them cling to titles like barnacles on a sinking ship. Across the pond, we are amazed and a little bit disgusted that our embarrassing Duchess-turned influencer has been able to maintain the title that she has, to our horror.
Out of the blue, Meghan is insisting on being called “Sussex,” instead of “Markle,” sharing with People magazine this week it’s “part of our love story.”
She went on to, describe "Sussex" as "our shared name as a family," highlighting its importance in uniting her, Prince Harry, and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
Markle even corrected a guest on her show, actress Mindy Kaling. When Kaling called her “Meghan Markle, the Duchess shot back: "It's so funny, too, that you keep saying 'Meghan Markle.' You know I'm Sussex now."
Markle’s transparent attempt to cling to her royal title while simultaneously distancing herself from her family name has not only disappointed her father but also sparked controversy. In a pointed interview with Town and Country Magazine, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a cousin of King Charles, publicly rebuked Markle’s assertion that ‘Sussex’ is a surname, calling it "completely incorrect."
Lord Ivar, who has an intimate knowledge of royal titles, took the opportunity to remind Markle and her supporters that the title of Sussex is not her family name. Instead, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor is the legal designation for her family, a clarification that should have been obvious to anyone familiar with the workings of the British royal family.
While Mountbatten-Windsor is their legal surname, in point of fact the use of titles as surnames does have precedent in the royal family, such as Prince Harry using "Harry Wales" when his father was Prince of Wales. The question is, ‘why is the duchess asserting this change now, so completely out of the blue?’
Britons see red; we Americans see red flags. In our US labour market if you ditch the job, you lose the perks — simple as that.
Some postulate that the King fears a family rift, and that he won’t act unless more “bombshells” drop. Bombshells? They’ve already lobbed Spare, Oprah, and a Netflix tell-all. But rumours circulate that action could be taken on the titles should the Sussexes inflict new damage.
Across the Atlantic, we’re gobsmacked. America—especially under Trump’s “You’re Fired!” approach—cuts quitters cold: ditch the team, lose the jersey. Harry and Meghan didn’t just quit; they bolted 5,000 miles, trashed the Firm, and turned ‘Sussex’ into a Hollywood hustle.
Meghan’s branding flip-flops are dizzying. She de-emphasised ‘Duchess’ in early promotion, only to double down on ‘Sussex’ in the show and interviews.
Lee Cohen outlined to Meghan Markle and her supporters that the title of Sussex is not her legal family name.
Getty
Yet miraculously, she’s still “Duchess,” a title tied to duty she’s scorned since 2020. The couples’ children, Archie and Lilibet, also sport the Sussex title too, despite having very limited contact with Harry’s family and not having visited the UK since 2022.
GB News warned last week the royals might finally sanction title removal if the duo keep pushing—shockingly overdue. Social media is overflowing with demands to strip them.
So what’s stopping you, Britain? In America, we see ex working royal parasites exploiting a loophole—living large, raking in millions, and thumbing noses at an institution and a nation that gave them everything and continue to enable their notoriety. To us, Britain’s reluctance is agonising. The Royal Family might dread the fallout, but the public’s exhausted—throngs taking to social media to express their disgust, and this week’s Netflix farce punctuates it all the more.
Please, Parliament: Swing the axe…Strip the titles. End the charade. Let’s see how plain old Mr. and Mrs. Mountbatten-Windsor of Montecito, who have earned the labels “talentless” and “grifters” from Hollywood executives, fare with no special adornments.
Markle has produced nothing in her arsenal to maintain public relevance without the link to her husband’s heritage. What a service it would be to the world if we ceased to hear about her.
